It’s more than Instagram in terms of image processing, but not as serious as Snapseed. In this review, we will tell you what has changed in the application recently, what features have appeared, and how they can be useful.
First of all, VSCO is a photo editor, because the development company specializes in image processing tools for such programs as Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Camera RAW and Aperture. Many years of experience in this field are reflected in VSCO functionality, the number of filters and all sorts of tools for images in this application is perfectly balanced.
The idea of the service is similar to Instagram – image processing and publishing on your own page. But unlike Instagram, VSCO allows you to create your own albums, save your favorite photos and share them in other social networks. All publications will be available in the desktop version of the site with a very beautiful minimalist design.
Interface
The app is divided into several tabs: Profile, Explore (Photo Feed), Library, Shop (Filter Shop), as well as icons for the built-in camera tool and settings. By default, the app launches with your photo library open, and by swiping from the left edge to the right you can access other tabs.
Camera
The application used to be called VSCOcam, which is not surprising, because the number of all sorts of camera settings is amazing. Here you can shoot not only in automatic mode, but also feel like a real photographer. ISO, shutter speed, white balance, and manual focus – you can customize anything you want. Plus, the app helps you align horizon and perspective – there’s a beautiful and clear visualization for that.
Library
All photos taken with your camera inside the app are automatically saved to a library and uploaded to the cloud for synchronization with all your devices. You can also add shots from the standard iOS gallery for further processing. It’s possible to sort photos by filters and change the size of their display, and as of recently, there’s also an icon of favorite images on the top bar.
Photo feed
In addition to capturing and processing images, VSCO also offers you to share your work on your own public page. For this purpose, there is an Explore tab where you can view other users’ photo feeds and add your favorites to a separate list. You can also search for pages based on several parameters.
The main menu contains your Profile page, where you can publish your photos, create albums and share collections of your favorite photos.
Processing
Once you’ve selected a photo to edit, you’ll see a panel of functions at the bottom, including Share, Save, Export to iOS Gallery, Sync, and Delete, as well as an edit button on the left side. It’s the one we’re most interested in.
As I’ve already mentioned, the service offers a lot of filters. Having downloaded several collections, you can choose the most suitable one among them and adjust its intensity, and then proceed to further processing.
There are a lot of tools for fine-tuning the image: adjusting exposure, perspective, contrast and vignetting, working with light and dark areas. The Fade and Shadows/Highlights Tint tools, which are simply not available in other popular photo editors, deserve special attention.
Despite many changes throughout its existence, VSCO is still the leading app for mobile photographers, allowing you to experiment with lots of beautiful filters and customizations.